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Ratliff Legal Group - Immigration Law

Every wave of immigration into the United States has faced fear and hostility, especially during times of economic hardship, political turmoil, or war:

In 1882, Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act, one of our nation's first immigration laws, to keep out all people of Chinese origin during the "Red Scare" of the 1920s, thousands of foreign-born people suspected of political radicalism were arrested and brutalized; many were deported without a hearing. In 1942, 120,000 Americans of Japanese descent were interned in camps until the end of World War II.

It is true that the Constitution does not give foreigners the right to enter the U.S. But once here, it protects them from discrimination based on race and national origin and from arbitrary treatment by the government. Immigrants work and pay taxes; legal immigrants are subject to the military draft. Many immigrants have lived in this country for decades, married U.S. citizens, and raised their U.S.-citizen children. Laws that punish them violate their fundamental right to fair and equal treatment.

Can I get permission to work?
Students will not be approved for an F-1 or M-1 visa unless the students can prove that they can financially provide for themselves and their education without needing to work.
How can I extend my visa status?
If you're a student with an F-1 or M-1 visa, you can apply for an extension of your student status while you're in the United States. To be eligible as an F-1 student, you must have 'continually maintained status' and have experienced a delay in the completion of your educational program 'caused by compelling, academic or medical reasons.
School transfers for F-1 students
If you're currently an F-1 student enrolled in a full course of study at a school approved by Immigration and Naturalization Services, or I-N-S, you may transfer to another school or continue in the same program or major at a different school.
School transfers for M-1 students
If you're an M-1 student who wishes to receive permission to change schools, you'll need to complete form I-5-39, also called an 'Application to Extend Time of Temporary Stay', as well as form I-20-M-N, a Certificate of Eligibility for Non-Immigrant Student Status for Vocational Students.
Student visas
Foreign students are an economic asset to the American educational system. They also introduce a welcomed diversity to the lives of their peers. Students pursuing academic degrees are generally given F-1 visas.
Visas for the spouse and dependent children of foreign students
Family members of foreign students may obtain a visa from the U.S consulate. The American consulate in your native country decides if the requirements have been met and can then authorize an F-2 or M-2 visa for your spouse or dependant.
Visas to study or conduct research
If you're interested in studying or conducting research in the U-S, you must have an F-1 or J-1 visa and be accepted by a school or institution that the INS (I-N-S) has approved.


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Ratliff Law Firm
Robert RatliffRobert Ratliff is one of the Country’s most dedicated post-conviction and criminal defense attorneys. A graduate of the University of Pittsburgh where he received a B.A. and the University of Cincinnati Taft College of Law where he received his Juris Doctorate, Mr. Ratliff has practiced law in the State of Ohio and Alabama and has appeared in State and Federal courts throughout the United States. Mr. Ratliff is admitted to practice before all Federal Courts of Appeal, the United States Supreme Court and numerous District Courts.

Mr. Ratliff is a tireless advocate of the constitutional rights of individuals. He has represented people charged in criminal matters throughout the United States and overseas. At every opportunity Mr. Ratliff has fought for the rights of individuals and against the oppression of the Government. Mr. Ratliff is also the publisher and author of the monthly newsletter, Ratliff’s Law Review which has provided attorney’s, inmates and their families with concise and updated legal analysis on today’s most important criminal defense developments.*

*The following language is required pursuant to Rule 7.2, Alabama Rules of Professional Conduct: No representation is made that the quality of legal services to be performed is greater than the quality of legal services performed by other lawyers.

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